It instead encompasses a variety of APT-related commands like apt-get, apt-mark, and apt-cache. We’ll get to this in a bit.įor now, it’s important to note that APT as a package manager is not the apt command.

Every distro based on it uses APT, though not all implementations of APT are equal. Known as the Advanced Packaging Tool, APT is Debian’s solution to mainstreaming the process of removing, installing, searching for, and managing the various applications you install in the operating system. It’s also one of the few old-school clickable GUIs that run directly inside the terminal. What’s Aptitude?Īptitude is the nerve center of package management, acting as a front-end if you want to have a detailed look at all the packages your distro offers in its repositories and those that you’ve added. Apt, Apt-get and Aptitude all use dpkg to install packages. As if there weren’t enough of these already, there’s also one more package management tool in Debian or Ubuntu-based systems you might have heard of that deals with on-disk installations: dpkg.ĭPKG is a tool that runs in the background every time you install a. Regardless of all the small details that distinguish them, apt, apt-get, and aptitude are all just different calling cards for Debian’s package management system that interacts with online repositories.

– Defining Apt-Get, Apt, Aptitude, and DPKG The Dreaded APT 'command not found' Issue.Defining Apt-Get, Apt, Aptitude, and DPKG.

Aptget install